GEORGE M. COHAN: IN HIS OWN WORDS is a full-length, two-act biographical musical, featuring 26 rousing Cohan songs, for a cast of 16 or more. Chip Deffaa's zesty script--based on the actual words of Cohan and his contemporaries--conjures up a golden era of show business.

From reviews of the original New York production...

"[This] musical is s dandy... It is a terrific, surprisingly moving show [with] an amazing roster of Cohan songs, some familiar, some not.... A dynamically convincing picture of a man deeply attached to his family, his country and the footlights--and nothing else.... I recommend this wonderful, seemingly--but only seemingly--simple show."

The show is written for six males, five females, plus as many ensemble members as you choose to use. (Plenty of opportunities for dancing, too.) The original New York production had a cast of 16, but the show could be performed with as few as 12 people, or with as large a cast as desired. The whole company gets to join in on big numbers like "Grand Old Flag" and "Over There."

Daniel Sullivan, Jackie Comisar

The show works for audiences and performers of all ages. It has been produced successfully everywhere from upstate New York to the Texas heartland. The oldest actor to portray Cohan in a production of this show thus far (in New Jersey, in 2011) was 83! To see pictures of that production, please visit the page on this website titled "A Senior-Theater Production."